jessiquoi

...and for whatever reason, I went a little nuts afterwards. I don't know if it all just seems more real when you're watching a person tell their story compared to just reading it, or if I was just due for a little crazy time . Every now and then something makes me think about what I am planning on having done to my body, and I freak a little. I am standing with my decision to have the surgery. I know why I need the surgery. I've been trying to lose weight unsuccessfully for 25 yrs (I'm 56), and I'm chock filled with comorbidities, plus I just can't move. The only fun I ever have now has to be either sitting (backgammon, movies, etc) or laying down (not gonna give examples here lol). I want my full life back. But man, I never imagined myself here. I always thought eventually I'd be able to get it off myself... when I got married, when I got pregnant, when I got the new job, when I got divorced, when I turned 30 40 50... Anyway, I freaked and ate more than was on my plan, although I was able to stop it sooner than usual, and ended up going to bed depressed in the middle of a beautiful Sunday afternoon. All better now! And still looking forward to an early Fall surgery date. Thanks for listening!

my surgeon's office told me to take flintstones. i'd love to hear why yours said to stay away from them. would you mind very much asking them at your next visit? i'm sure there are a lot of people here who would be interested!

Good job avoiding the beer while your coworker was drinking!

You are doing wonderfully! 17 pounds in a little over a month all on your own! This is a long haul process, and I think the most frustrating part must be the pre-op part. You can do this... You ARE doing this. Keep it up, and keep posting of your success, we're all interested and rooting for you!

First of all, everything you feel is valid. They're your feelings, and nobody can invalidate them. Of course you are nervous before surgery. There are very few people who wouldn't be. Speaking for myself only, I have had those same thoughts, plus some more about complications, people's reactions... the list goes on. Like you, I also backed out of going forward with this once. You are not alone with your feelings. You made the decision when you were in a rational state of mind, not a pre-surgery jitters state of mind, so try to remember that, and remember your reasons for going forward. It may help if you write down all the reasons you decided that WLS was right for you, and all your fears. Everything seems clearer when you put it on paper or say them out loud. You may already feel better just by posting here this morning! I see this is one of your first posts. I would recommend finding other people on the site that are due to be sleeved this next week like you. It will make you feel much better to share the experience with people who are in the same place as you. You will be able to compare experiences, which will reassure you that you're not alone. Best of luck!!! I hope to be where you are in a few months.

Good luck! I'm nervous about this one too, I've never had one before. I'm scheduled to have this and the colonoscopy (another first) at the same time, at the end of next month. Let us know how it goes!

I just started my three month supervised weight loss program prior to the pre-op liquid diet (4 days) my surgeon requires. The night before, I had my absolute favorite dinner to order in after work, a turkey club sandwich with extra mayo, waffle fries and a pepsi. Said goodbye to that meal that night. I am planning for the night before my liquid diet to have my second favorite dinner from outside the house, a Wawa large turkey sub with extra mayo, potato chips and pepsi. I will say goodbye to the chips that night. (I already said goodbye to pepsi, but I will allow myself one more that night.) I am looking forward to great changes. I'm also telling myself that I can have my favorite foods again if I want them post-op, in much smaller quantities. I don't think I'll want them though, because after 2 weeks of following a meal plan, my tastes are already changing a bit. Just make sure you don't forget the guidelines your surgeon gave you, if any, about how much weight you need to lose to qualify for surgery. Don't lose sight of the prize!

I am required to lose 5% (14lbs) during a 3-month period with the nutritionist before they will submit to insurance.

I told myself the same thing your friend told you, last year after my "first" first appointment with the surgeon last August. I walked out of his office so depressed about having to lose weight before the surgery, and so afraid that I wouldn't be able to. I said to myself, if I can lose what he wants me to lose pre-op, then I can lose it all. Fast forward to this year, when I am admitting one more time (and the last time) that I can't lose and maintain weight effectively on my own. I need the surgery to help me get my health back. You made the decision to get the surgery for your reasons, and I'm sure you thought it all out and discussed it with your health care team. Instead of taking the question personally, try to think of yourself as an advocate who can help educate the uneducated. That's really the problem, they just don't understand. Or, you can tell them to take a flying leap. I'm not sure whether I'm going to tell people or not yet, but I've been practicing two replies in my mind that I found on this site. For people who want to know why I'll be out for work, what kind of surgery I had, why am I losing weight so fast: "Thank you, it's so sweet of you to be concerned! It's nothing serious." Repeat ad nauseum. For people who want to know why I'm having WLS instead of "eating better and exercising": "My doctors all agree the surgery is medically required for me." Or stuff like that. Practice them in your mind, it does help. And first step is believing it all yourself.

i am hoping for late september/early october.

Oh my, I'm all the way up near Delaware, across the Susquehanna from Havre de Grace.

Hey, BeagleLover, I'm in MD too, up in the Cecil/Harford County area. Are you anywhere nearby?

It's been 2 weeks since my inital surgeon's visit, where I met my team (nutritionist, exercise physiologist, nurse, counselor, surgeon, coordinator) and got the low down along with a gazillion instructions. Things I have done so far: - given up seltzer (my only carbonated drink) - cooking dinners instead of ordering in - eating a healthy Breakfast at home instead of grabbing something at work - downsizing portions of my lunch (I still eat that out) - stopped grazing all day long, cutting out most Snacks between meals - ordered some free samples, and some not free samples, of various Protein drinks and bars in hopes of finding ones I love before I need them (can't wait to get them) - experienced hunger and let it be, something I haven't done very much in years - scheduled all my pre-op tests for over the next two months Wow, I'm really glad I wrote that all out... I kinda felt like I was slacking, but I'm starting to feel better about what I've accomplished in 2 weeks. It helps to say things out loud (or online lol). I've lost 4 pounds in two weeks, and my team wants me to lose 14 in three months. Not too bad so far, but it's the easy part of losing weight... you know, after you've really been eating too much of the wrong stuff and any little change makes weight drop off? Things I feel I need to start doing: - weighing and measuring my food - tracking my intake and staying within the 1500 calorie limit given (I don't know if I do or not cause, well, I'm not tracking) - trying to get some kind of movement in (my knees and hips and lower back are so tired of carrying my weight, they don't allow me to walk further than to the corner without needing to sit down and relieve them) - eating mindfully instead of in front of the television or video game - bringing my lunch to work I must spend about an hour a day on this site, reading everyone's stories, good and bad. I'm convinced that, barring any surgical mishap or unknown medical issues cropping up, I will succeed if I follow the guidelines strictly. It has been really helpful reading over and over again how dangerous it is not to follow diet instructions post-op. I'm definitely scared straight there! And, I really enjoy reading about people complaining about "only" losing 40 pounds in 4 months, or similar numbers. I will be thrilled with that kind of success! Thanks again to all who share their stories.

Natalie, congratulations on reaching out for help. There are so many people here who will be supportive and help you through your journey. Remember it is a journey, and it doesn't really matter how long it takes you to get to your goal as long as you are heading in the right direction. Right now you need to visualize your path. Try not to think of everything you need/want to do at once. You say you have a lot on your plate. For me, making lists works great. Write down everything you need to do. The list doesn't need to be complete, you can add to it whenever you think of something else. Prioritize them as high, medium or low. Eating your meals and moving a few minutes should be on that list. Check off the things you do every day, and aim to do three things other than your meals and exercise each day. That's really more than enough. By writing things down in your list, you can release them from your mind and stop worrying about them, because you know you won't forget them. I took a class once in time management that taught me the more you put structure in your life the more freedom you have. I try writing everything i have to do in my daily calendar, and i mean EVERYTHING, like cooking and eating, going to the library to return books, having dinner with a friend... there are only so many time slots in a day, and this will help you from overbooking yourself. Make sure you schedule in time for you to just relax and do nothing. You will make it! I have every confidence in you. Take a deep breath, and pull out your pen and paper and start making your list. And come back here and interact often. You're not alone!

I just started on my 3-month supervised weight loss. I'm not following the nutritionists guidelines yet... I'm just cutting out junk and trying to trim portions. I have never been able to make drastic changes quickly. I'm a master at baby steps, so I hope that I will a) lose the 5% of my weight the nutritionist told me to, and make it as easy as possible for the surgeon to reach everything he needs to. Reading all of your posts is making me feel more serious than I have so far... I think I'm going to try harder. Thanks for sharing, everyone!

My doctor told me i will be having my endoscopy and colonoscopy at the same time. Did anyone else experience this?

Keep up that attitude! You're doing great!

It's been one week since I met with my surgeon and his team for my first appointment. I was given a list of habits to adopt pre-surgery to make it an easier transition post-surgery. This list is now hanging on my frig, and my plan is to check them off as I achieve them. Well, I selected what I thought would be the easiest to start with, and I'm having a really tough time. I am trying to take small bites and chew my food completely, and to not drink while eating and take tiny sips when I do drink. These two are proving to take a lot of concentration, and the truth is, I probably should have started with mindful eating. I eat two meals a day at my desk while working, and dinner in front of the tv. OK, I hear it. THIS HAS TO STOP. I can't really change the way I eat if I'm not paying attention to eating! Sigh. I plan to succeed, so I guess I better get myself eating mindfully immediately. I've tried this in the past, and it actually makes me sad. I am so BORED just eating. But I have about 3 months before my surgery, and I will master this by then! If anyone has any tips that have helped them with this step, please share. AAAGGGGHHHHH. OK, I really needed to get that out. I feel better now. Nobody told me this was going to be easy... au contraire, all I've read on here is that it's NOT easy... time to face the music.

Congratulations! It's great to hear such a motivational success story!

This topic gives me something new to worry about . Tylenol is contraindicated for my continuous glucose monitor, and I've only been using ibuprofen for years. I'm definitely going to look into homeopathic remedies. Thanks for all the info!

I am very excited! Due to a myriad of health issues over the last 3 months, I've already had most of the pre-op testing required. I just have to get with my PCP to have the records sent over to the surgeon. I live in MD, and will be using Dr. Kim at Harford Memorial Hospital in Havre de Grace. I am starting my three-month supervised weight loss with the team. They want me to lose 5% of my weight by surgery. I started following as many of their recommendations as I could yesterday, and by last night I was totally freaking out. My relationship with food is so strong, and so TWISTED. The thing is, I really and truly love healthy food, and always get my nutrients in via food, but a) my portion control sucks, and I also eat a lot of crap. I am going to have to do this one day at a time, making changes slowly but surely. In order to keep myself from eating all night long, I had to go to sleep at 7pm. My poor boyfriend is going to be lonely in the evenings until I can manage staying awake in the evening without eating. He's super supportive, and has himself lost over 100lbs without surgery. I can't believe I am probably going to be approved for an early October surgery. I have a feeling the time is going to fly!

This is actually my SECOND first surgeon visit lol. Last summer, I started the journey towards banding. I attended the info session at the hospital, but after my first surgeon's visit, I backed out. I thought, if I can follow the 3 month required pre-op weight loss regimen, I should be able to finish it myself. (Um, I was wrong.) Also, the doctor made me a little uncomfortable, because he was insisting that I would be able to stop using insulin after the surgery, and I'm a Type 1 diabetic, and require insulin to live. I spent the last year trying intermittently to lose weight, and couldn't keep it up on my own. Meanwhile, my knees and hips and back started to complain loudly about carrying around the extra weight. I am in a great relationship with a great guy who is very active, and I am so frustrated at not being able to keep up with him. I'm an ex-athlete and I can't believe I am where I am right now. My PCP and my Endocrinologist have both mentioned that having WLS is something I should seriously think about, and so, I am starting again. However, after reading more and more on this site, I've switched my surgery preference from band to sleeve. I'm very excited about the upcoming surgery, and I spend a lot of time visualizing me in one year, kayaking with John, walking everywhere instead of having to be dropped off in front of the building, getting rid of high blood pressure meds (4/day), cholesterol meds, perhaps the CPAP I sleep with... I've been lurking on the forums for about 2 months now, and did the same a year ago. I thank everyone for your informative posts, from the veterans who are so inspirational, to the newbies whose steps I will be following hopefully soon. Your stories have been so helpful I am impelled to share my own to give back. I hope I get a better impression of the surgeon this time (really, the only thing that bothered me was his lack of knowledge about my diabetes, but my Endocrinologist told me not to worry about that, she will be on top of that for me). If I don't feel comfortable, I will find another. Wish me luck on Wednesday!

try, if you can, not to be resistant to the test. i thought i slept fine too, until i had a sleep study (done in the hospital) and found i had severe obstructive apnea. i had a lot of trouble getting used to the cpap, and a friend who successfully used one told me not to give up and to try different style masks. i could not use the one with the nose thingees, i finally settled on one that covers my whole nose and it's very comfortable. i can't sleep without it now. i'm not saying that you DO have sleep apnea, just saying that IF you do, there are many options when it comes to masks, and with patience and a little time you will find the one most comfy for you. good luck!

The only way you can fail is if you stop trying. Read the posts by some of the more experienced bandsters, and learn as much as you can. You can do anything if you are kind to yourself through the process and communicate with your doctor and team and other bandsters about any issues or concerns you are having. Good luck!

i have my first appointment (after the seminar) this coming Thursday. it is a 4 hr appt! i meet with the surgeon, dietician, psychologist, and the rest of the team all morning, one at a time. i expect to be exhausted and full of information afterwards, and i'll be back to share too.